We had a wood dump for awhile. Shut it down because all we ever got was 40+inch oak, cottonwood, beech and huge stumps despite a sign that read “no stumps”. Free wood seems like a good deal until you actually see what the free wood looks like! Just my experience I hope yours is better.

I answered Craigslist ads for free wood years ago. What this was were arborists who wanted wood taken from job sites in Silicon Valley. Santa Clara County restricted firewood burning to the point that almost no one there burns wood. If an arborist removes a tree they have to pay to dump the wood.

I asked for hardwoods only cut to 16" lengths with 24 hours notice. The way this worked is I had to get the wood when they called and if I didn't they wouldn't call again. I had so much firewood at home that it was getting out of control.

I would talk to the arborist that if offering the wood and make it clear what you will and will not take. I am not sure what the situation is where you live but in my situation the arborists were happy to have someone haul off the wood so they didn't have to pay to dump it. They honored my requests and we were both happy in the end.

go for it...I have a guy drop stuff off a couple of time a year. Sometimes the stuff is nice and sometimes the stuff is pretty ugly. Some takes more work than others, but at the end of the day, it all burns. Good Luck!!

In my experience it is a good way to get a crap ton of pine, cottonwood and willow. Give you the crap and they keep Oak, Ash and Hickory. Only have one tree company to judge this by but would not try this again.

In my experience it is a good way to get a crap ton of pine, cottonwood and willow. Give you the crap and they keep Oak, Ash and Hickory. Only have one tree company to judge this by but would not try this again.

That's a great deal, however I would inspect each and every load before I let them dump it. i wouldn't just let them come and dump without supervision. Big multi forked stumps are not worth the trouble unless thats all you have available. Even then it's still a pain to work up.
Make sure you let them know what woods are acceptable and what's not. Anything under 6'' rounds becomes more work and is not very productive.
Make sure they don't bring a ton of chips ether. A little trash, chips and bad wood is gonna come with some of the loads but make sure it minimal.
I have been getting free wood from a tree guy for years. It's a win,win. You save him money on dump fees and he bring you wood saving you a "LOT" of work plus hauling cost.
Your recycling something that would otherwise end up in a land fill or a mulch yard.
The biggest thing is to monitor them constantly to keep them from bringing you useless trash.

I usually try to get the power company to bring me chips. I tell them to go ahead and throw any wood they dont want to chip in the truck with the chips and dump it all in the same pile. I dont get much wood, but I might get 150 loads of chips in a season. Anything that might make firewood, I just flip out of the pile while turning it with the fel. I also will take my trailer to where ever the power company might be working and they will toss any wood in my trailer. I dont even have to help, actually, they want me to stand in the clear while they do the work. Said something about a hard head not being the same as a hard hat.

I have a tree service that has unloaded on me a few times. Have had very good luck with it. The guy tells me exactly what he has to unload, length, diameter, species, knots & crotches or straight, and he has always delivered exactly what he described. This was a big, 42" at the large end, Pin Oak. He told me it was one big knot, ask me if I was sure I wanted it. I believe the hardest thing I have ever split. I love a good challenge.